


Off Trail

by CG2



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gabriel is kind for once, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Jack is a dummy, Kissing, M/M, Skiing, Snow, Snowboarding, cabin in the woods, how did this happen, jack is suffering on the outside and gabe is suffering on the inside, they are absolutely adorable, you could think of this as a prequel to Snow Angel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:22:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22127863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CG2/pseuds/CG2
Summary: Jack Morrison is a skier who is gravely injured while skiing down a treacherous slope. Having gone completely off trail, he ends up hiking towards a mysterious cabin where a stranger opens the door and takes him in. Introductions are awkward, the night even more so. But after a bit, it becomes clear: they make a good pair.
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Comments: 6
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

“Oh f… _not again_ ,” a rough voice choked out, its owner struggling sluggishly to raise his limbs over the dense snow that had nearly buried him alive. His breath came in short puffs from over exhaustion, and his whole body ached from the long day on the mountain. He had cleared many paths, taking a small amount of pride in the difficulty of the slopes he had conquered, but one final run down a double diamond had sent him spiraling off of the set path and down an undiscovered slope and into the depths of a crowded, snowy forest. 

It was there that Jack Morrison gradually gathered his thoughts and scanned his body for any obvious injuries. The shock had not yet worn off, but none of the movements his limbs made caused any great pain. He was relieved for a moment, taking stock of his equipment before trailing his eyes down his blue jacket to find… 

A deep red stain blooming slowly from his abdomen area. Eyebrows knitting together in slight panic, he raised himself to take a closer look before squeezing his eyes shut as sharp pain jolted up from the sight of the injury. 

Groaning, the blonde let out a defeated sound before carefully pulling his hand down to lift the jacket up. He winced as another spike of pain protested the movement, but the sight that greeted him once the wound had been properly revealed threatened to make him nauseous.  
A piece of bloodied wood had lodged itself into his flesh, not too deep, but the sight of viscera itself was enough to cause Jack to look away for a moment and collect himself. 

He had survived worse. The dying light of the sun reminded him that he had not yet survived a night alone in the depths of the snowy woods while injured. 

“C’mon, c’mon,” he muttered to himself, using a trembling hand to quickly dislodge the intrusive object, and after a moment filled with immense pain, ripped it from his abdomen and shakily cast the bloodied piece of wood to the side and into the snow. Quickly discarding the scarf around his neck, he used a red-stained hand and his teeth to stretch it to its maximum length before lifting the jacket higher with his other hand and wrapping the scarf tightly around his middle. He squeezed the wound until it hurt, ensuring that the blood flow had been staunched, and only then made a tight knot with the remaining sections of the now bloody scarf. 

Huffing out another grunt of pain, Jack sat up. Gritting his teeth, the blonde used a nearby tree to support himself, not without glancing distastefully at the bark, and turned to carefully lift up his skis along with his poles. After sliding the skis together and clicking them into place, he secured the poles by wrapping each strap around each ski. 

Morrison sighed, lazily following the small cloud his breath had made with his eyes. He frowned as a sudden chill took hold of his body, another reminder of the dwindling sun. He had to find help, or at the very least a way off of the mountain and onto a main road. He couldn’t call anyone, having left his cell phone to charge in his room, but he reckoned he could get by without having to call in an emergency. He shouldn’t be too high up. By his calculations, he had ended up near the bottom on the far west side of the mountain. That meant that reaching any main road would be quite a journey. 

Shaking his head, the blonde man lifted his skis with a tired sigh, and settled them on his right shoulder. Gripping them tightly, he began his trek through the knee deep snow, careful not to lose his balance. Falling would only make things worse. He grimaced at the thought of being trapped in the darkness of the forest past sundown.

Unfortunately for the skier, that nightmarish thought was slowly becoming a reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More soon. Thanks for reading!  
> Fair Warning: This might get more edgy than the description implies.  
> P.S. Some say that this could possibly be a lengthy prequel to Snow Angel. I'll let you decide that.


	2. At Death's Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matters are quickly escalating to a dangerous level. With nightfall comes a very real possibility of death, and odds are not looking in Jack's favor.

Jack Morrison was becoming desperate. He had trekked for what felt like almost an hour, and the sun had finally retreated into the horizon, disappearing from sight and casting the snowy landscape into complete darkness. The faint, blue light of the moon twinkled beautifully on the snow, but the slowly growing blood-red stains following his tracks ruined the breathtaking sight. His breath was coming in short, and he felt light headed, obvious red flags regarding his condition that he could do nothing about. 

A nauseating panic ate at him. He was going to bleed out. All because of one stupid mistake, one final run when he should have just called the day quits and gone home. A choked cough forced its way out of his throat, his tired arms barely supporting the skis he now held in front of him as to distribute the weight.

_What a stupid way to die_ , the thought replayed in his mind, again and again. _What a stupid, stupid way to die._

And so, Jack Morrison continued to tread, slowly losing feeling in his arms and legs as the bitter cold seeped into his being, and exhaustion rendered him nearly immobile. He entered a near trance-like state, focusing on nothing but each step forward, unaware of his surroundings or potential dangers. He was becoming delirious from blood loss, the only problem he could consciously comprehend, but once again, could do nothing about. 

He shouldn’t have pulled out that piece of wood. He shouldn’t have left his cell phone to charge in his cabin. _He shouldn’t have gone on one final run._

Jack lost track of time. The never changing sight of snow covered bark filled him with desperation, but his tired body could no longer respond to his panicked mind. 

He was going to die here. In the middle of the forest. After going off a fucking _ski-_

Light. The blonde stumbled for a moment, completely awestruck. 

His eyes did not deceive him. A faint orange light glowed invitingly just to his right, hidden behind a canopy of trees. He must be hallucinating, right?

Turning towards the light, he made his way forward with the last bits of energy he had, and to his immense relief, relief so great it nearly brought tears to his eyes, the light grew brighter before revealing a small opening in the trees. 

Limping into the clearing, the bloodied skier let out a breathless chuckle as a cabin entered his field of view. 

Someone actually lived here. In the middle of the woods. 

Unless, of course, this was some kind of extensive delirious hallucination, but Jack chose to indulge the could-be fantasy. He took one step towards the door he had identified before suddenly crumpling to the ground. His face hit the snow, and his skis tumbled to the side. His limbs instantly froze on the ground, unwilling and unable to move any longer. 

_No… No! It’s right there! Help is right… right there._ The blonde sobbed involuntarily, trying his damndest to drag his shaking hands up under him. But his body would not cooperate. He had abused it for long enough. 

He would die right here, right at the boundary of help. Right at the edge of safety. Life really wasn’t fair, was it?

And so he cried, unable to move as his heavy eyelids threatened to close and drag him into a sleep he was terrified he would not wake from. He eyed the edge of the cabin through his blurry vision. Mustering up one final plea for help, he rasped out one word.

_“Help…”_

He let his tired eyes close. Exhausted and pained, the blonde allowed unconsciousness to take him. 

He did not hear the faint creak of the cabin door as it opened. He did not hear the horrified utterance of the word “Christ,” nor did he feel two strong arms grab hold of him and lift him up bridal style. 

No, Jack Morrison saw only endless darkness, and heard only the faint passing of an ethereal wind, completely oblivious to reality and the plethora of surprises it held in store for him, both bad and good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick update, since I had this pre-written. I am not sure when the next chapter will come out, but expect it sooner rather than later. Thank you for reading!


	3. Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unconsciousness is a welcome distraction. But it is not a permanent escape. What does reality have in store for Jack?

Jack awoke to darkness. Warm, _cozy_ … darkness. With a confused frown, the blonde man turned his head to the side to blearily look at what he recognized as a fireplace.  
At the sight of the glowing embers, he froze. 

_What the hell? Where am I?_

He became keenly aware of a pressure around his middle, and the extremely soft blanket that had been draped over his unconscious body. Taking care not to irritate his sore abdomen, he gently moved the blanket to the side before gawking in surprise at the extensive amount of bandages wrapped around his body. Puzzled, the skier moved to sit up before groaning in pain, his body unhappy with his sudden movements. 

He panted as he glared down at his abdomen before stubbornly pushing himself up. Once in a sitting position, he took a moment to collect his breath before once again surveying his surroundings. He appeared to be inside some kind of cabin, and the partially opened curtains revealed the moonlight outside. 

It was the dead of night. His abdomen was wrapped in bandages. His skiing gear was nowhere in sight and he had no idea where he was. 

Grumbling to himself, Jack attempted to remember anything at all from the last twenty-four hours. He had gone skiing, he knew that for sure. He had cleared almost a dozen different slopes, from blues to double diamonds. He had… he had…

A glint of blue caught the moonlight in the corner of his vision. Slowly, his eyes traveled towards it, squinting to make out the form of a blue scarf. _His_ blue scarf.

Completely drenched in blood-red stains. Blood. _His blood._

And just like that, the memories bombarded him. The fall, the injury, the hopeless trekk to a main road that he never found. A cabin and then… 

And then? 

Taking a shaky breath, the man refused to fall into hysteria.  
Was he dead? Couldn’t be, right? The afterlife can’t be this cozy.  
_What a stupid thought_ , Jack lightly chuckled to himself. Taking deep breaths, he examined his bandages once more with a thoughtful look upon his face. 

_I’ll get out of this kind soul’s hair, but I need to thank them first_ , he reasoned. He figured that the owner of the cabin, and his saviour, was asleep. It _was_ the middle of the night.  
His eyes scanned the wall and found a beautifully carved grandfather clock in the corner of the room. The time read 1:40 AM. Grimacing, he allowed himself to sag into the cushions of the couch he had woken up on.  
He would excuse himself in the morning. Leaving now would be stupid. He had no idea where to go or where any of his things were. 

A sudden creak nearly caused him to jump out of his skin, and his head jerked towards the direction the noise had come from. An empty hallway greeted him, and after a moment of tense observation, Jack sighed and turned around once more with his head in his hands. 

“I’m such a fucking idiot,” he muttered to himself, ashamed but still drained of all energy. He sat there for what felt like an eternity, his head held in his hands, his eyes closed as he attempted to regulate his labored breathing. He wasn’t sure if he could go back to sleep. He was too uneasy.

Jack’s eyes flew open as a light touch on his back made his hair stand on end. Whirling around in fear, his heart almost burst out of his chest at the sight of dark figure standing right behind him. Releasing a pathetically frightened sound, he nearly fell off of the couch before he was caught by two dark arms, keeping him steady as his heart pounded away in his chest. He was vaguely aware that the figure was apologizing to him, sorry for having frightened him nearly out of his skin. At last, the pounding in his ears receded enough for him to make out the words being spoken.

“...stupid of me to sneak up on you like that,” a gentle voice spoke, doing wonders to ease Jack’s anxiety. How could someone’s voice soothe him so? 

Already embarrassed at his reaction, the golden haired head dipped down in shame.  
“No worries,” he attempted to reassure in a voice he could barely recognize as his own. Another glance at the clock across from them caused him to grimace as guilt filled him. “I’m sorry for waking you. At an ungodly hour of the morning no less-”

“Do not worry about that,” the unbelievably kind stranger replied, cutting his apologetic rant short. “You were in really rough shape when I found you.” 

Another wave of shame washed over the blonde who did not dare to look up at the man who had saved his life. 

With a sigh, he unconsciously clutched the blanket at his knees closer.  
“I am sorry for burdening you,” he replied professionally, genuinely sorry for having made the stranger’s life harder than it needed to be. A hand on his shoulder finally broke him out of his shame-filled stupor, and he allowed himself to meet the eyes of the stranger. 

The first thing he noticed were his eyes. His breathtakingly beautiful, brown eyes. They held so much light and empathy in them, filled to the brim with kind intentions. But he could see deeper than that too.

In those same eyes he saw pain, trauma unlike any a human being should suffer. He saw hurt that the stranger had pushed aside in order to help another. Dazed, Jack traced twin scars that split the man’s beautiful face, adorning his cheek and leading to a trimmed goatee that somehow made the man more handsome than he already was. The stranger’s elegant dark locks framed his face in the most brilliant way possible, and it was only then that the blonde realized he had been gawking at him. 

Turning his face away once more, from a different kind of shame this time, Jack attempted to hide his blush in the darkness, but he could not ensure that the stranger did not catch it. 

“Thank you for saving my life,” he breathed, trying his best not to sound too taken aback. He had never gazed at someone more beautiful than the angel in front of him. The same angel that had saved him from certain death. 

The hand on his shoulder squeezed as the stranger laughed dryly, no emotion in the sound. “I couldn’t just leave you to bleed out in the snow, could I?” the stranger answered, and Jack only cringed on the inside. 

“I wouldn’t blame you,” the blonde sighed. “A fitting punishment for my own stupidity.”

“Your punishment was that nasty wound you got on your abdomen,” the dark-haired man countered. “And even then, that’s pretty nasty for what I’m guessing was a wipe out.” With an eyebrow raised in his direction, Jack realized he was being indirectly questioned.

He nodded and watched the stranger nod his own understanding. 

“I’ll leave in the morning,” Jack began, “You must be busy, and I don’t want to be an even bigger bother-”

“You are not a bother,” the statement was spoken with finality and a firm tone. “You were gravely injured, and I have plenty of supplies. You can leave when you are comfortable, I don’t mind you staying for a few more days.”

Jack stared, dumbfounded, as the stranger retracted his hand before stepping to the side and towards another room that had been on the opposite side of what Jack assumed was a hallway that led to the man’s bedroom. 

“The main road is pretty far from here, and the nearest hospital even farther. It would be easier for me to treat your wounds here, if you are comfortable with that, that is?” the man asked in the doorway, turning his kind eyes towards Jack once more. The blonde swore he saw something within the darkness of his irises, a strange, irrepressible emotion. Almost, some kind of _need_. Not the flattering kind, either. Not at all, it was so... serious. Jack couldn't put his finger on it. 

Shaking the thought away, the blonde nodded absently, nervously playing with the blanket in his hand. After a moment, he realized that the stranger was still standing in the doorway. He came to the conclusion that he had been asked a question.

“Sorry, what?” he sheepishly asked. 

“Your name,” the man spoke softly. “I was asking for your name.”

He laughed uneasily at the prompt, feeling stupid for spacing out. “Jack,” the blonde replied, giving the stranger a small smile. 

He cursed his breath for hitching when the man returned it, lip curling into a smirk as he too revealed his name.

“Gabriel,” the man answered, and Jack couldn’t be happier to match such a gorgeous name with a gorgeous face.  
God, he was really losing it. He felt like a teenager, getting so worked up over a stranger who he had known for all of ten minutes and burdened with his injured, idiot ass. 

“So Jack,” Gabriel spoke, and Jack’s heart leapt into his throat at the mention of his name spoken with that gentle voice. “How do you feel about tea?”

Jack’s tired form perked up at that, and he felt the last bits of tension release their hold on his body. 

“Sounds amazing,” he eagerly agreed, a genuine smile spreading across his face. Gabriel’s eyes twinkled as he turned with an elegant nod, and disappeared behind the open door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Fair Warning: This is going to get edgy. Next chapter should still be light and fluffy, but following that, be warned.  
> I will attempt to update when I have the time. A new quarter just started, so I'm a little busy, but I will keep writing!


	4. Tea Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a lot more comfortable as the unlikely intruder and the cabin owner bond. But something doesn't feel right. There is a piece missing to this puzzle.

There was no possible way that Gabriel had gotten the exact amount of sugar that Jack liked in his tea. And yet, that’s exactly what he got. With a hesitant first sip, Jack had been surprised to find that his tea was, in fact, just how he liked it. 

“You got the amount of sugar dead on,” he murmured. 

“Took you for a sweet tooth,” the man replied, a cheeky smile upon his face. Jack feigned annoyance, going so far as to roll his eyes before hiding yet another blush behind the mug. 

“What gave you that idea?” he asked. 

“You’re pretty sweet yourself,” the reply came, and Jack had to consciously choke down a flustered sound. He took a breath to compose himself.

“You’re the sweet one,” he muttered, averting his gaze to the now very interesting designs on the table. A chuckle from the man made Jack realize he had heard him. 

“I’m usually taken for the grumpy type,” the older man retorts with an amused smile. 

“Well, I wouldn’t disagree, but you saved my life and all.”

“So does that automatically cancel out my grumpiness, then?”

“I wouldn’t say cancel out-”

A sudden howl from outside the cabin silences the pair, and instantly Gabriel is on his feet and alert, hands subconsciously setting the tea cup onto the table as he heads towards the kitchen once more. Jack watches in helpless confusion as the man digs around before turning the corner once more with…

Jack blinks. Indeed, there is a raw piece of meat in Gabriel’s hand. He sits, dumbstruck, as the other man makes his way towards the window before slowly pushing the blinds away to take a peek outside. 

The way Gabriel’s body very slightly tenses instantly sets Jack on edge. Putting his own tea cup down, he moves to get up but nearly crumples as pain takes hold of him, and is instead left hunched over and gasping as it recedes. The sound alerts Gabriel who turns to give him a worried glance before returning his attention to the outside once more. Jack settles for speaking.

“What is it?” he whispers, his voice unnaturally ragged once again. 

The dark haired man remains quiet for another moment before carefully retreating towards the blonde. 

“Pack of wolves outside,” he says in a low voice, “Scent of blood brought them near.”

Jack is about to question the source of the blood before letting his mouth close, unconsciously shifting a hand to sheepishly rub at his neck. 

“Oh, uh,” he continues to whisper, “sorry about that.”

Gabriel gives him a look he can’t decipher. Another insistent howl puts an end to their awkward exchange as the cabin owner takes a deep breath before moving away from Jack. The skier watches as the other approaches the cabin door and reaches for it before very slowly cracking it open. 

Jack’s hair stands on end as the sound of panting and faint growling reaches his ears, and he is tempted to pull the man out of the doorway and shut the door before seeing a muzzle peak through the opening and gently rub against Gabriel’s thigh. After an initial spike of fear at the sight, the blonde slowly relaxes as the other man reaches a hand down to affectionately scratch the creature’s wet mane before tossing the piece of meat in his hand outside. In an instant, the sound of pleased yipping is heard, followed by challenging growls and snarls, and Gabriel stands still as the noises get farther and farther away from the cabin.  
At last, he closes the door and turns to find a very surprised Jack still staring at him. 

The two observe each other silently for a moment before being interrupted by one last howl in the distance. Taking that as a sign to rest, Gabriel heads towards the living room table once more before sitting down next to Jack. The skier startles at the suddenly tight proximity between them, but sits obediently still as the other reaches for his blankets. 

Understanding the request, Jack pulls back the blankets in order to reveal his bandaged wound before flinching in surprise at the sudden red protruding through the white. He feels unjustified embarrassment take hold of him as he unconsciously attempts to hide the reopened wound, unwilling to give the kind host any more work for the night. 

“Stitches ripped,” Gabriel states, but without any kind of annoyance in his voice. “Let me see.” 

Jack shys away as the other reaches for him, about to explain that he could survive well enough with ripped stitches when a warm weight settled on his arm. Glancing down, his breath hitched as he registered a dark hand resting on his forearm. Slowly, he dared to look up into those stunningly dark eyes, so different from his own. Those eyes assured him that the man knew of Jack’s discomfort and guilt.  
No, he _understood_ it.  
Jack was roughly reminded of the empathy he had seen in the man’s gaze the first time he had looked at him. As he looked into those dark eyes, he saw it yet again, as bright as day. If anyone could understand, it would be Gabriel. Jack was sure of it. 

“Let me help you,” the older man gently spoke. The blonde swore he heard a strange desperation in those words.  
He didn’t need to be convinced.  
Jack suddenly couldn’t be happier to oblige.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is fluff, as promised.  
> And now... the edge. 
> 
> I am not sure when I will be able to post, but I assure you that I will try to make it soon. Thank you for your comments and kudos. It is very much appreciated.


	5. Light

_Their trust had been crumbling for months now. The situation was becoming more fragile by the second. If nothing was done, everything would shatter._

_But what were they supposed to do?_

_“Boss, this ain’t workin’,” the familiar face spoke warily, eyes tired with a forced, crooked smile._

_The dark-skinned brunette snarled in frustration as he whirled on his partner, his protege. His… His son._

_The kid had been a thorn in his side ever since they had found him, resourceful and talented, but with no sense of boundaries. Constantly pushing his buttons, keeping him on edge._

_The brunette loved him dearly._

_He wouldn’t trade the smart-assed youngster for anything in the world. For him, the kid was a light in the darkness, a singular hope in a sea of helplessness. A reason to keep going._

_He needed to protect the kid._

_But everything was going to hell._

_How could he protect him?_

_How could he live with being unable to protect the only thing he cared about?_

_The muted fear in those eyes sobered him as he stared with his teeth bared, but saw nothing. His world was falling apart again. And just as before, he could do nothing to stop it._

_Another barrage of bullets in their direction sent him crashing into the younger soldier, knocking him down and out of harm’s way. As he pulled away, the sight before him made his heart shatter. The kid’s eyes glinted in the light, filled with unshed tears. But more importantly, there was something missing. There was no more light. No more hope laced into those brown irises, no determination._

_Only defeat. Pure, crushing defeat._

_And the realization that this was the end._

_Their end._

_“We’re dead, aren’t we?” the faint voice of the other reached his ears, unnaturally muffled. Gabriel certainly felt like he was dying.  
The screams of their fellow soldiers died down as their numbers dwindled. They were alone. _

_“Gabe?” a broken voice spoke to him. The older man could do nothing but hold the other in his arms and pray._

_“I’m scared.”_

_Time froze.  
Those final words echoed endlessly in his mind as a deafening boom split the world in two. He saw those brown eyes widen with fear, watched the slanted western hat disentangle itself from messy brown locks as brilliant tendrils of light surrounded them. The ground shook, and for one last moment, everything stood still. _

_~~  
“I’ll get you a new hat, kid.”  
~~  
_  
Gabriel violently jerked awake. Panting, he roughly tumbled to the ground, tangled messily in his damp blanket. He continued to breathe unevenly, hyper-aware of the tears still running from his eyes and bruised aching hands. 

It never got any easier waking up from _that_. Letting out a sound he refused to categorize as a whimper, he curled in on himself, shivering as the ice-cold wooden floor seeped into his warm body. 

He wouldn’t ever stop having that horrible nightmare. That memory would never stop haunting him. That _moment_. 

The most horrible moment in his life. And he was forced to replay it in his dreams. Again, and again. And _again_. There was no escape from this.

There was no escape from his own pathetic failure, from what he hadn’t stopped from happening. 

“Gabriel?” a weak voice pierced his poisonous thoughts. Jerking up, Gabriel strained to hear it once more, unsure if he had heard correctly. 

After a moment, he heard his name called once more, albeit weaker. Gathering his strength, Gabriel pushed himself up by his hands, hanging his head as he made his way to the door.

Great, now his guest was worried. And both of them were awake in the middle of the night again.

He was starting to think they really wouldn’t get any sleep tonight. 

He opened the door before making his way into the hallway. From there, he could see a glint of gold glittering in the moonlight as a pale face as white as snow stared worriedly at him from the couch, eyebrows furrowed in concern with questioning eyes finally finding his own. 

“I heard something heavy fall near your room,” the other whispered, trying to further sit up. “Are you okay?” 

“That would be me falling out of my bed,” came the response. It was meant to sound comical but instead turned out to sound unpleasantly vulnerable. 

There was a tense silence before the wounded blonde asked a simple question.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

The brunette froze. He had not expected that. 

One glance into those brilliant blue eyes and he knew that there was not a single ounce of malice or disingenuity in his question. 

After a moment, Gabriel decided against sleep for the second time that night and headed towards the blonde figure watching him in the darkness. Plopping himself onto the couch beside Jack felt surprisingly good, and he found himself relaxing against the soft cushions. The blonde turned slightly to show that Gabriel held his attention, but did not prod, waiting for the dark-haired man to gather his thoughts. 

He wasn’t sure where to start. He was completely clueless as to how he was supposed to communicate the soul-crushing guilt that wouldn’t leave his body, no matter how many times he strove to redeem himself. 

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw white. That blinding white light. That familiar face stricken with fear. All of the things he wished had made up his final moments. But there was a somber, lonely reality that awaited him after that supposed moment where he truly believed his life was over. 

Death hadn’t claimed him. Not like it had claimed everyone else. He still didn’t understand how he survived. _Why_ he survived. Why every second following that moment was spent mourning the fact that he had. That life was cruel enough to steal everything from him, and leave him alive enough to suffer for as long as Death desired before it put him out of his misery. 

A pressure on his cheek brought him crashing back to reality as he tensed and slowly comprehended that a hand was cupping his face. He sat still as a finger brushed under his eye, wiping away the tears he hadn’t bothered to rub away. 

Jack’s hand was on his face. Jack was sitting just before him, alive and well.

_Jack was alive. He… he had saved him?_

_Of course he had. Gabriel had_ needed _to save Jack. Saving him had been just as important to Gabriel as it had been to the blonde._

 _If he hadn’t saved Jack… If he had failed_ again _… if he had..._

There were things that even Gabriel vowed not to think about. 

The finger repeatedly traced his cheek, soothing the brunette unbeknownst to him. After another minute of silence, the older man dipped his head, and with a tacit understanding, the blonde mentally locked away all of his questions. They would wait. He was well aware that the brunette was not ready to share. Suppressing a childish blush, the blonde subtly held his other hand open in an invitation. 

There was a tense moment of silence. Gabriel remained still, dark eyes twinkling in the scarce moonlight, the darkness under his eyes more obvious. The brunette released an audible sigh, and the skier watched his posture crumple, so obviously emotionally drained that Jack’s heart ached at the sight. 

At last, the older man moved. Relief flooded Jack’s system as the other scooted closer and gently placed himself within the blonde’s open embrace. Jack wrapped his arms around the broad shoulders, holding the brunette close as he attempted to massage the strain away. The older man sagged into Jack with a heavy exhale, and the blonde had to will away yet another embarrassing reddening of his cheeks. 

The skier tried not to jump when two arms circled him in return, comfortably locking them together in a tight embrace. He breathed carefully, enjoying Gabriel’s presence but remaining mostly still as not to ruin the moment. Time seemed to slow. Jack slowly drowned out his own intrusive thoughts and closed his eyes. 

They sat in each other’s arms for what felt like hours, unaware of the time or of their surroundings. His breathing gradually slowed, and he faintly registered that his head had subconsciously fallen onto Gabriel’s sturdy shoulder. He had relaxed involuntarily, and when the other suddenly moved, the blonde tensed in anticipation before falling back into the man’s hold with a surprised and pained grunt. His stomach tensed uncomfortably at the movement, but after a moment of stillness, and a foreign hand soothingly rubbing his side, the pain melted away. 

The darker man had readjusted their position slightly, now holding Jack in his lap, but when the skier tilted his head up to look at the man’s face, his eyes were closed and his expression serene. Allowing the previously suppressed redness to paint his cheeks in the darkness, he relaxed in the older man’s hold before closing his own eyes and leaning his head back onto the thick shoulder he had previously moved away from. His breaths synchronized with those he heard above him, and Jack swore he felt the beat of the other’s heart against his side. 

Taking one final deep breath, he finally found the edge of consciousness. With an exhausted smile, he allowed himself to tip into the world of dreams, comfortable and warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edgy indeed. I can't help myself. I am absolutely in love with describing the experience of a moment just before an explosion if you couldn't tell. I wanted these boys to bond on an even deeper level, and we can't do that if we keep this story only happy.  
> It has been forever! I am sorry for waiting so long to update. I've been really busy, and I wasn't sure what I'm doing with this fanfic. But I figured I've kept you guys waiting for long enough. So here it is...
> 
> As of right now, I have no clue what I'm doing.  
> I'll try to update soon. Lots of new things. Thank you for reading. Love you guys.


	6. Tethered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm back... after about four months.  
> Sorry about that.
> 
> Shame on me for abandoning this for one-third of an entire year. 
> 
> I think one epilogue chapter following this one might sum this fic up!  
> I got other ideas in store for this fandom though, we'll see how that goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets a little bit spicy, kissing and all the like.  
> If you don't like that, go ahead and skip to the next one!  
> We'll sum things up there :)

Jack’s eyes flew open as he was roughly jerked back to reality. It was freezing cold. He realized he couldn’t feel almost the entirety of his body. His limbs felt too heavy to move, and his breath was coming in short. He was lying in what he could only assume was powdery snow, and an icy wind seeped into his warm clothing and curled around his skin. He cringed as his body registered a warm substance covering his front, and at last, the blonde managed to focus his eyes on his surroundings. He stared at the endless expanse of trees surrounding him, the dirty white patches of snow he found himself on fading into a complex mix of tree roots and shrubs. 

The ground underneath him was tinted red, and with rising dread, he turned his gaze towards where the cabin should be…

It was nowhere in sight. With wide eyes, the blonde stared helplessly into the empty clearing. Too good to be true. 

Of course, it had been too good to be true.  
A delirious illusion from his dying mind. 

It was the last thing he should have ever seen, but it was just his luck that his body was able to drag him back for only a moment. Make him realize that everything he had seen in his final moments had been a lie. 

Choking on blood and unbridled emotion, Jack Morrison realized with certainty that he was going to die, alone and helpless. 

With a shaky sigh, he relaxed into the ground. This was it.

He should have known. 

_Jack?_

Angels didn’t exist.

_Jack? Wake up._

Dreams were not a viable escape.

_Jackie, I need you to wake up now._

Why could he still hear that voice? The time to die whilst immersed in the illusion had passed. He didn’t want to die knowing it was all a lie. 

_You’re scaring me, blondie._

Screwing his eyes shut, Jack dragged in a ragged breath and attempted to shut out everything. He drowned out the pain, the howling wind, the icy snow seeping into his clothes and numbing everything it touched. He wasn’t going to die within an illusion.

_Jack!_

Life was cruel, wasn’t it?

……………..

Jack’s eyes shot open for the second time, and in a moment of vertigo, he found himself on his back rather than his front, snow-free and unbelievably warm. Gasping for air, the blonde nearly tumbled off of the couch he found himself on. 

Shaking, his wide eyes scanned his surroundings, taking in the darkness of a now-familiar cabin, complete with the slightly opened curtains, grandfather clock, and living room table. 

He jumped when he felt something warm ghost across his back, jerking away in fear before twisting his head up to identify the possible threat. His eyes froze on two dark eyes worriedly surveying his own, a dark hand carefully reaching for him in what he assumed was an attempt to comfort him. He realized with a start that the edges of his vision were blurry, and that unfamiliar traces of wetness had covered his cheeks. Frowning, he shakily lifted a hand to wipe away the tears that had dared gather on his features.

He huffed in embarrassment, quickly rubbing them away, but still mesmerized by the figure standing in front of him. After a small moment, a lump formed in his throat as another wave of sadness crashed over him. He didn’t understand. 

He couldn’t tell if he was dreaming.

“You’re… you’re real?” his rough voice chuckled, full of disbelief. 

The darker man kneeled before the blonde, moving to take his hand in his own. He intertwined their fingers, pressing them tightly against his palm and brought the trapped hand to his lips, placing a light kiss on the smaller man’s knuckles. 

The blonde watched, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. Gabriel suddenly realized that he had never gazed upon someone quite so beautiful, with blue eyes sparkling brighter than any diamond and blonde hair gleaming in the moonlight. He felt a small pinprick of pain in his chest as another round of tears spilled from the blonde’s eyes, delicately coating his reddened cheeks. The tips of his mouth were turned down in a frown, bottom lip shaking as he attempted to suppress his sobs. 

“I was a dead man walking… You saved… _shit_ …” the blonde’s voice cracked as his composure slipped, and then Gabriel was there, dragging him into an embrace mirroring the one the blonde had given him a few hours earlier. 

The dark-haired man held the shaking mass against him, steadily rocking back and forth and cooing soothing words into the blonde’s ears. 

“I’m such a fucking idiot,” the broken voice spoke, and Gabriel shushed him gently.  
A particularly violent spasm had the older man gripping the blonde more tightly. 

“Just burdened you with my dumbass, I-”  
“Jack,” the brunette’s kind voice intervened.

“All I do is fuck things up, I _deserved_ to bleed out-”  
“ _Jackie_ ,” the soothing voice pleaded, holding the blonde’s head tight against his chest in an attempt to muffle the words coming from his mouth.

“No, no- I don’t deserve an _angel_ like you-”  
“I’m no angel,” an equally rough reply came. He felt the blonde tense, as if ready to argue when he decided to speak once more. 

“ _You_ are my angel,” Gabriel admitted.

When he felt the other’s head shake against his shoulder, he tightened his hold once more. 

“You gave me a chance to do the right thing, to redeem myself… to feel a little less _guilty_ about...” his voice broke at that moment, and silence filled the room. Gabriel stopped breathing, his hold threatening to crush Jack, his wide eyes unfocused.

A pair of lips brushed the bottom of his throat, and the brunette’s breath hitched. He felt hot air on his skin, unfamiliar and yet… he felt himself slowly relax, unconsciously exposing more of his neck. The small show of trust earned him a more confident press of lips against the line of his throat. With a deep sigh, he turned his own head to nuzzle the blonde’s temple, ghosting his mouth over the blonde’s red cheek. 

The moment he felt a soft tongue lap at his shoulder, he crooned, turning to plant a firm kiss to the side of the blonde’s head. He thought he heard a soft moan beneath him.

“You gave me the chance to save someone, to save _you_ ,” Gabriel whispered, his deep voice riddled with emotion. "That's all I ever needed."  
Two hands grasped at his shoulder blades, the blonde’s fingernails scraping down his back. The brunette hissed at the sensation, shifting the golden boy to fit more comfortably in his lap. 

Once seated, he felt a warm and wet mouth trace up the length of his throat, stopping to suckle under his jaw.  
Gabriel himself couldn’t quite believe he wasn’t dreaming.  
Everything was happening so fast. 

“Gabe, I…” he heard the other’s voice, uncharacteristically frail, reach his ears.  
“Don’t you dare apologize,” his own response came, voice low and soft. 

“Thank you,” the blonde mumbled instead. The dark-haired man felt a small smile spread across his lips, and he turned to place yet another kiss on the blonde’s cheek. 

“Thank _you_ ,” he mirrored, tracing his own hands up the other’s sides. He felt the blonde shiver, and he suddenly became aware of the heat pooling within his stomach. 

“I met you _yesterday_ , you gorgeous bastard…” he grumbled, moving to nestle his head into the crook of the skier’s shoulder.

“Feels longer than that,” came the husky response, the smaller man mirroring Gabriel’s earlier sign of submission and allowing the other man to further explore his neck.  
The brunette bared his teeth and dragged his canines over the delicate skin, prying a whine from the blonde’s lips. A hand was suddenly in his hair, gently pressing his teeth further into skin.

“You’re very handsome yourself,” Jack purred. A sudden pressure on Gabriel’s groin forced a low growl from his throat, his exploring hands finding the blonde’s hips and squeezing possessively, yet gently, mindful of the injuries still present on the golden boy's body. 

Another glance into those sparkling eyes, and the dark-haired man wasted no time in taking hold of the blonde’s jaw and with a rough tug, closing the distance between them. Their lips connected violently, and suddenly, everything around them faded away, if only for a little while.

...

In the darkness of the cabin, at last, a ray of sunlight peaked through the curtains.  
With a content smile and a sleeping, lightly-snoring mass within his arms, Gabriel let a genuine smile adorn his face.

Perhaps he could redeem himself after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Feel free to tell me I'm trash, cus I certainly feel like it.
> 
> Have a good day/night all of you, and thanks for sticking around <3


	7. Snow Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The resolution, ladies and gentlemen.  
> Enjoy :)

It was about a week later that the blonde’s wounds had healed enough to get rid of the bandages, and with expert ease, the stitches were removed by Gabriel’s hand. 

Feeling much stronger, Jack was able to traverse the cabin on his own time, and even helped Gabriel gather firewood on his fifth day of recovery. The older man, however, refused to give him more than a few small pieces of bark, claiming that any more could reopen the wound, but Morrison had his suspicions that he was being coddled. He wasn’t upset at all, of course.  
He owed it to Gabriel to let him have his way, and if being overprotective soothed his anxieties… well, Jack couldn’t complain too much. 

They spent much of their time talking, drinking tea, and occasionally taking small walks in order to get some fresh air, and gradually regain Jack’s lost strength. 

It was on the eighth day after that fateful night that the blonde found himself sipping tea from a dark mug as Gabriel returned with a thud of the front door. Jack smiled up at him, prepared to get up and greet him properly with a warm hug when something in the other man’s hands caught his eye. 

Focusing on the object, he quickly realized what it was. 

An old, worn hat. 

Smile falling from his face, Jack gently put aside his tea before slowly getting to his feet. When the man before him refused to move any further and remained entirely silent, vacantly staring at the hat within his grasp, the skier allowed himself to approach quietly.

“Gabe?” he called softly, taking a careful step forward. The man did not answer, and only then did the blonde realize that the hands holding the hat were shaking. 

Placing his hands on top of the dark, calloused ones, he tried to meet the darker man’s eyes.  
He would not look up.

“Gabriel?” Jack repeated, voice nothing more than a whisper. 

Once again, silence permeated the room. With a sigh, he observed the dirtied item. Now that he could take a closer look, he saw that it was a cowboy hat, colored brown with a darker loop on its exterior, adorned with golden stripes. Its edges seemed to be charred, darkened as if they had survived a fire. 

“I…” the older man began but stopped for a moment. Jack waited patiently for him to continue, and when he did, soothingly stroked his knuckles. 

“I never told you,” Gabriel continued.

“And you don’t ever have to if you can’t,” Jack admonished him, still yearning for the other to meet his gaze. 

At last, the darker man tilted his face upwards, meeting the blonde’s eyes but, as far as Jack could see, his gaze remained vacuous, unseeing. A slight frown adorned his features, but the blonde couldn’t read the other past that small, insignificant detail. 

Jack steeled himself for the worst but stood determined, unwilling to back away from a chance to help someone who had become his closest friend in no more than a week. The words that came next, however, did nothing but surprise him.

“I’m a veteran,” Gabriel spoke quietly, sadly. “Served as a commander of a special task force sent in to evacuate trapped citizens and dismantle hostile omnics in the most dangerous of regions.” He chuckled then, an empty sound. “They didn’t trust anyone else to do it for them.” 

Jack stood frozen, mesmerized.  
“A commander?” he whispered in awe. 

It was only then that Gabriel seemed to return to him, his empty look finally focusing on his face, taking in his admiration before looking away with shame. The blonde was taken aback by the reaction, showing his confusion with a silent furrowing of his eyebrows. 

“I… I shouldn’t have expected less from someone as amazing as you,” Jack murmured, but an audibly shaky breath from the other quickly shut him up. 

The blonde quickly moved his hands to the other’s face, holding him steady as his eyes sparkled with unshed tears, a look of pure anguish overtaking him and sending a spike of pain through Jack’s heart. 

“I shouldn’t have survived,” the voice of the once commander trembled in the silence of the house. The skier attempted to hush him, but he continued on. 

“Our entire squad was wiped out by- by an explosion,” his voice broke mid-sentence, and the first hot tear trailed down his reddened cheeks, and with downcast eyes, Jack gently wiped it away. 

“I couldn’t save any of them, couldn’t save _him_.”  
The blonde’s eyes traveled back to the hat between him and Gabriel.

“Jack, _I watched my boy die_ ,” the veteran choked on a sob, and Jack brought their foreheads together, still holding the other’s face. He closed his eyes, feeling hot wetness coat his thumbs as he continued to wipe away the tears. 

They stood together, the darkness of the cabin soothing as the world around them fell silent, nothing but the sound of the gentle wind outside. When at last, the veteran’s words returned to him, Jack opened his eyes to look fondly at the weeping angel before him. 

“I’ve never felt so hopeless, you know?” he spoke shakily, voice laden with pain. “I failed him.”

“I failed all of them.”

Jack’s chest ached at the proclamations, but he remained respectfully silent. After a heavy sigh, he felt a warm hand cover his own, and felt a blush cover his cheeks as Gabriel opened his eyes to meet his own. Moving away from Jack, he leaned into the hand holding his face with a frail look upon his face. 

“Just glad I didn’t fail you,” he whispered, and the blonde’s composure cracked. 

“You failed no one, Gabriel,” Jack spoke calmly but with a dead-serious tone. He could see the other retracting once more into his shell but with a quick motion, he moved forward and brought their lips together, effectively silencing him. Taken by surprise, the darker man froze for a moment, but with a sigh, pressed the hat close to his chest and let himself lean into the sturdy blonde before him. 

Jack broke the kiss without moving away and instead, circled his arms around the other in a tight embrace before moving his chin to Gabriel’s shoulder. He felt one uncertain arm grasp his back in return, and with a gentle squeeze, he spoke once more. 

“I bet you were the best commander there ever was,” he murmured earnestly.  
“And I don’t know who he was, but if he loved you, seeing you like this would break his heart.” 

The older man let out another miserable sigh, taking in a shaky breath as Jack rubbed soothing circles into his back. 

“Don’t let the guilt kill you, Gabriel,” the blonde pleaded, “I’m not sure what I would do without you.” 

A fresh round of wetness coated his chest, and Jack could only hold the other man as he sobbed quietly. He continued in his attempts to calm the veteran, patiently awaiting his lucidity. 

“Jack?” the faint voice of the other reached his ears and Jack stilled his movements.  
“I love you.” 

With a saddened smile, Jack pressed himself closer to the other man.  
“I love you too,” he spoke with no hesitation, nothing but adoration in his tone. “Thank you for saving my life.”

He could feel Gabriel smile faintly against his neck.  
“ _Thank you for saving mine._ ” 

…

“Jack…”

The blonde groaned from his spot on the bed, moving a hand to cover his face from the rays of sun flowing through the open window. 

“Jackie…” a pleasing voice rose him from his sleep. 

He moaned in discomfort, blearily opening his eyes to behold a scarred face smiling down at him. 

“Gaaabe,” he voiced, an adorable frown upon his face. Chuckling, the veteran leaned down to peck him on the cheek. 

“C’mon, sunshine,” he spoke with fondness, ruffling the blonde mess of hair upon his partner’s head. “It’s a beautiful day outside, perfect for skiing.” 

Jack perked up at that, glancing up with surprise at the other.

“Skiing?” he questioned, eyes wide. He hadn’t heard or thought of the word in well over two weeks.

“Yeah, dummy, skiing. Now get up and get ready, time’s ticking,” Gabe chided over him, moving away to the door. 

“You know how to ski?” Jack asked, a smile upon his face.

Gabriel turned back to face him with a dead-pan look. 

“You think I’d be all the way out here if I didn’t know how to ski or snowboard?”

“So, which one is it then?” Jack asked with a sly grin.

Gabriel feigned exasperation with a heavy sigh and a shake of his head.

“If you must know, I snowboarded professionally as a teenager,” Gabriel explained. That was all it took to get Jack to fly out of the bed with an adorably excited skip in his step.

Gabe chuckled. “You’re cute, you know that?”

Jack turned to look over his shoulder with the sole purpose of sticking his tongue out. Laughing, the veteran watched him struggle with his clothes for a moment longer before moving to the living room. 

After only a few minutes, Jack stumbled clumsily into the room, practically beaming with excitement. The sight had Gabriel smiling, a warm feeling sprouting within his chest as butterflies fluttered in his stomach. It brought him indescribable happiness to see Jack so enlivened. With a shake of his head, he turned towards the skis and the snowboard resting on the wall.

Jack was practically vibrating as he snatched the skis energetically, laying them comfortably upon his shoulders and waiting patiently for Gabriel to grab his own equipment.

Once the older man had secured his snowboard, he moved towards the door. The blonde followed him quietly, holding his breath as the door was opened to reveal glittering snow and a vast and brilliant blue sky dotted with clouds. The faint traces of falling snow twinkled in the light, and the darkness of the forest around them seemed unhaunted, entirely devoid of danger. 

The door behind them closed, and Jack felt a hand gently touch his own. With a smile and a faint blush dusting his already red cheeks, the blonde intertwined their fingers once again. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, he let his blue eyes look to the blinding light resonating from above, thankful for the sunny day and the chance to finally ski again. But more importantly…

Jack looked back to Gabriel who hadn’t looked away from the blonde, a faint smile gracing his handsome features. He smiled shyly back, squeezing the hand in his. After a faint squeeze in return, with renewed excitement, they began their journey through the forest, hand in hand, many brilliant rays of light peeking through the canopy of trees to flow over their figures. 

A clean, slightly charred cowboy hat sat comfortably upon the porch as they disappeared amidst the greenery. 

And unbeknownst to the two, somewhere in the heavens above, its owner smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming along on the journey with me,  
> This is the first multi-chapter fic I have ever finished :)  
> I love these boys so much, I hope I did them justice here.  
> For now, we're done with this au,  
> but... might come back to it in the future ;)
> 
> PS. To those reading from the dbd fandom... I promise one day... I'll finish the first multi-chapter fic I ever started...  
> Love you all,  
> This was a blast to write.  
> Thanks for reading!!


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